Review: SKELETON CREW at The Black Rep At Berges Theatre At COCA

The uncertainty of the American auto industry in 2008, with UAW workers facing plant closures and the threat of being unemployed, is the subject of Dominique Morisseau's play SKELETON CREW that opened at The Black Rep on Friday. Morisseau's work is the third play in her Detroit cycle trilogy that focuses on one of the remaining auto stamping plants in the city. This character study examines how the stressors of economic recession impact the lives of four working class plant employees and what effect their actions will have on their relationships with each other. Each of the multi-dimensional characters penned by Morisseau are living paycheck-to-paycheck and have a unique set of circumstances beyond their interdependence on each other in the workplace. Morisseau gives each of these characters real depth allowing the audience to connect with their personal story outside of the factory, building significant audience empathy and concern for their looming fate.

Reggie (Brian McKinley) is the empathic plant supervisor who is sandwiched between his former colleagues and upper management. He is grappling with the pressures of keeping people productive in a manufacturing environment amid constant rumors about the plant closing. McKinley's performance conveys Reggie's consternation as he's pulled between the characters on stage and the unseen members of senior management. He depicts how a compassionate middle manager can drive themselves into an ulcerative state by internalizing accountability for their role in an organizational structure. His delivery is thoughtful, paced, emotional and sensitive.

Shanita (Carmia Imani) and Dez (Olajuwon Davis) are factory employees working on the manufacturing floor who are acutely aware of the looming threat and rumors of the plant closing. Shanita is cognizant that the benefits that come with UAW job cannot be easily replaced and that her personal situation would be seriously adversely affected should she lose her job. Shanita is proud of her work and can visualize how the end-product affects people's lives. Imani's performance is spot-on as she illustrates the dreamer that Shanita is and the pride she takes in the work she does. Her dewey-eyed characterization and range of emotion is inspiring, optimistic, funny and moving. Dez is a hard-working and temperamental employee who allows fear to drive his poor decisions. Davis effectively projects the angst, anger, anxiety and apprehension about his future should the plant close. His scenes with McKinley when the supervisor confronts the employee are electric and explosive.

Faye (Velma Austin) is the tenured union representative. She is kind and loyal, nearing the end of her career and trying to scratch out a just enough time to reach a service milestone that significantly changes her long-term retirement benefits. Austin disappears in the role of Faye. While all the actors deliver magnificent performances, this show belongs to Austin. She instantly captivates the audience without saying a word. Her seated posture at the breakroom table, her strut across the room to the coffee maker, her physical reaction to the postings on the bulletin board illustrates that this is her turf. Every decision she makes as an actor is intentional and adds to the intense layers of her character. Her performance is enthralling as she reveals the adversity Velma has faced and how the character's strength has allowed her to survive.

Director Geovonday Jones vision and collaboration with his actors and technical crew deliver a superb production. In addition to the exceptionally directed performances by the actors, Jones empowers his technical teams and allows their creativity to raise the production value to the highest standard. Lamar Harris' sound design is nuanced, detailed and spectacular. The sound effects (the punching of the time clock, the ambient factory noise when the breakroom door opens, the rattle of the employee lockers) adds to the intimacy and shrinks the theatre, placing the audience directly in the breakroom. The breakroom set and three-dimensional factory projection effects once again illustrate why Margery and Peter Spack are among the best scenic and video designers working in St. Louis Theatre. Their set detail provides a conscious palate for Coda Boyce's purposeful prop choices. Jayson Lawshee's lighting design, Marisa Perry's costume design and the work of the technical staff Christian Kitchens, Kristen Gray and De'Janna Hand all add to the exceptional quality of this production.

Dominque Morisseau's SKELETON CREW is a terrific story that is still relevant today with the economic uncertainty the country is facing. Her characters are fascinating and well-developed. Her script is filled with pathos, emotion, humor, fear and anxiety. This production of SKELETON CREW at The Black Rep is marvelous. SKELTON CREW runs through April 16th in the Berges Theatre at COCA. For more information visit theblackrep.org.

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